Eleanor and Park
by booklova1026
Summary: my version of what happens after that year Eleanor and Park spend away from each other. Do they get back together? What were the three words on the post card? do they ever see each other again? What happens if they do? I'll tell you: it gets complicated.I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS, THEY BELONG TO RAINBOW ROWELL, WHO JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST AUTHORS OF ALL TIME.
1. Chapter 1

**Park**

Eleanor hadn't written him a letter, it was a post card.

Just three words long.

_I love you_, it said. Park could hardly believe it. Somehow these three words almost made up for the last year of silence. _Almost_. He read it again and again until he was grinning from ear to ear. He scanned the post card, his heart leaping into his throat as his eyes caught something on the bottom.

It wasn't just three words long. It was exactly three words and one phone number long. He leapt from his bed and sprinted into the living room, searching frantically for a phone. As soon as he found one he punched in the numbers and held it up to his ear. It rang three times before someone finally picked it up.

"Hello?" The voice was deep and rough. He was expecting Eleanor to pick up for some reason; this voice surprised him so much he literally jumped. It was probably her uncle.

"Um, hi. Is Eleanor home?"

"Yeah, just hang on a sec." Park let out a deep breath, bouncing up and down on his heels. He heard mumbling in the background and ran his fingers through his hair, trying not to scream. His palms were sweating; this was the longest second he'd ever lived through. By the time he heard Eleanor pick up the phone he was a giant mess of excited/nervous energy.

"Park?" She sounded nervous.

"Oh my gosh, yeah it's me. Hi." The words rushed out as he was filled with the relief of hearing her voice again; this _definitely _made up for the last year of silence. Hearing her voice was amazing, he felt like he'd just been brought back to life, because that's what Eleanor was- his life, and this phone call finally brought her back. He must've sounded pretty nervous himself because she started laughing. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing." Park could picture her shrugging as she said this and it made him smile. "I miss you." It sounded like she was crying and Park realized that he was too.

"I miss you more." He said. "Did you get any of my letters?" Park couldn't help asking, but mentally cursed himself when the words left his mouth- not knowing for sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

She sighed. "Yes, but I couldn't make myself read them."

Again, he couldn't help himself, "Why?"

She laughed, making Park miss her even more. "I knew you were going to say that." She paused before continuing, "I couldn't make myself read them because I felt like I didn't deserve it. I felt like I didn't deserve _you, _Park." He loved it when she said his name.

"That's even more ridiculous than you not liking Batman or thinking that the _pirate_ story is _blah-blah-blah_." That made her laugh, which made Park laugh, which made Eleanor laugh even harder, which made Park wish more than ever that she were here for him to hold in his arms while they laughed. After they finished laughing Park said, "_I_ am the one who doesn't deserve _you_."

"Don't be stupid." She said, and that made him smile. They were both silent for a while before Eleanor spoke again. "I'm coming back on Friday."


	2. Chapter 2

**Eleanor**

"I'm coming back on Friday." She said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. _This _Friday?" _Ugh. Why was she so stupid? She should have asked if he was even going to be home this weekend. Great job Eleanor._

"Yeah, is that okay?" she was so afraid of going back, of seeing him, she found herself almost wishing he'd say 'sorry, Friday doesn't really work for me.' _Whatever_ Eleanor thought. She'd probably be happier if he said yes anyway.

"Okay?" He said. "Eleanor, it's more than okay. Gosh, it's….it's… _amazing._" She breathed a sigh of relief, loving the way her name sounded when he said it. "Oh my gosh." He said, Eleanor started giggling. "My mom is going to be so excited; you can stay at our house. We have an extra bedroom, if you want it. I can't wait to see you."

"I know!" Eleanor replied, still laughing at how excited he was. She bit her lip, not sure what else to say. Park fell silent too. Before Eleanor could say anything, Park spoke.

"Have you talked to your family?" She definitely wasn't expecting that and felt a lump in her throat as she pictured Maisie sitting on one of the swings. "I'm sorry." He said. "That was kind of a dumb question. They don't have a phone…" He trailed off.

"Have you?" Eleanor asked. "Talked to them, I mean. Or seen them." Her voice broke when she asked, but it killed her not knowing what was going on in their lives- or Park's- for a whole freaking year.

"I've seen your step dad, but honestly…I have no idea where everyone else went." He hesitated, it almost seemed like he was wishing Eleanor would stop him, but she couldn't make herself speak. "Josh says he stopped seeing your brother at school, I don't think anyone really knows what happened." Eleanor was crying now, but still didn't trust herself to speak. She could hear the pain in Park's voice when he told her. It made her feel better to know he cared, but she still felt a sick pit in her stomach knowing she might never see her siblings again. When Park spoke again his voice was soft, quiet, comforting. "I'm_ really_ sorry, Eleanor."

They were both quiet for a while. "Eleanor?" Park said.

"Hmm?"

"There's also something I did that I just wanted to tell you. I should probably be sorry, but I'm not…" He trailed off again. Then cleared his throat. "When I saw him- your stepdad- I mean-"

"Don't call him that." Eleanor interrupted.

"Sorry." He started again. "When I saw, uh, wait. Eleanor? What do you want me to call him?"

Eleanor thought. "Just say 'him'. I already know who you're talking about."

"Okay. Well, when I saw him, I just-" a sigh. "I don't know Eleanor. Something inside me just snapped. I got really mad, I wanted to kill him. He was drunk; he started yelling at me and stumbling all over the place. So, when he fell, I didn't even try to help him. I mean I actually _stepped out of the way_ so he would fall flat on his face. And he did. But I was still mad, so I kicked a bunch of ice and mud in his face. And then I went home. I just left him there on the side of the road while he coughed on whatever got into his mouth when I kicked it. I thought I should tell you, but I don't want you to be mad at me."

Eleanor wasn't mad; in fact, it actually made her smile a little, knowing he did that. "Eleanor, say something. I feel like an idiot." Eleanor didn't say anything; she couldn't, because she was laughing, _hard._ "You should've kicked him in the face like you did to Steve." She said, still laughing. There was muffling in the background.

"Crap." Park said. "I've got to go my mom's home. I'll see you on Friday."

"Okay." She sighed. "I love you."

"I love you more." He told her, and Eleanor hung up, smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Park**

Park couldn't believe how amazing it felt to hear her actually say those words. His mom walked through the garage door with an armful of groceries. "Hey." He said, crossing the room to help her. She handed him two bags. "Mom," Park said, hesitating. "I have something to tell you."

# # #

Friday couldn't come fast enough. When he told his mom at first she was hesitant (after all, Eleanor_ had_ cut off contact for an entire year) but once she wrapped her head around the idea, she was ecstatic. She ran around the next three days cleaning _everything. _She wiped every surface in the whole house, not missing a single speck of dust. In fact, Park couldn't think of anything she _hadn't_ done. Each room was vacuumed three times a day, every window cleaned; his mom even bought flowers to plant in the yard and scatter in vases around the house.

"Mom," Park said, "Eleanor doesn't care what our house looks like." She ignored him, heading off to straighten up Josh's room, which Eleanor would never go in anyways. He could hardly get her to go in his room. The phone started ringing and Park sighed as he trudged off to answer it.

"Hello?" he said. The voice that replied belonged to a woman. She sounded nervous.

"Um, hi. Is this Park Sheridan?" she asked.

"Uh, yep, that's me. May I ask who is calling?"

"This is Eleanor's aunt." Her voice cracked when she said Eleanor's name and his heart dropped to his stomach. Something's wrong. "Eleanor is in the hospital right now." She sniffed.

"Oh my gosh." He said.

"I didn't know if I should call you or not. It's just, you write her a lot, or you did I mean, and I thought maybe you were an old friend. I know she was planning on coming back this weekend, so I thought I should at least call and let you know."

"Yeah, I'm an old friend. Um, I'm glad you called. Is she okay? What happened?"

"It's my fault, really." She said, starting to cry. "She just got her driver's license last week, and I sent her to get some groceries because I was running late for a meeting and her uncle wasn't home-" she stopped, trying to pull herself together. Park didn't know what to say, or if he could speak, so he stayed silent. When she spoke again, her voice was low, and shaking. "She was in an accident. A drunk driver sped right into her side of the car. The airbags released, lowering the damage, but she passed out on impact. Right now all we know is she has three broken ribs, a broken nose, and she's in a coma that could last up to six months if she survives." Park's stomach clenched and he focused his eyes on his shoes while she spoke. "I don't know who you are Park." She continued. "But you've sent enough letters to let me know that you care. I wanted to let you know, what was going on and I'd like to thank you, for everything you've done. Eleanor hasn't had an easy life," she trailed off.

Park cleared his throat, "Thank you." He said. "For calling. Um, which hospital is she staying in?"

"It's just our local one, dear."

"Thank you." He said again. "And it's not your fault." She sniffed, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Park."


	4. Chapter 4

**Park**

Park's mom dropped him off at the hospital at six thirty; he'd been sitting in the waiting room for an hour now- apparently visiting hours don't start until 8:00. His crossed the room, to the drinking fountains, not even bothering to glance at the vending machines- he promised his mom he'd eat something since he skipped dinner and needed something in his stomach after the long drive they took to get here- but he knew he wouldn't be able to down Chex Mix and granola bars. Ever since Eleanor's aunt called to tell him what happened, he hadn't had much of an appetite. The waiting didn't help much, his stomach grumbled as he made his way back to his seat. One hour down, thirty minutes to go.

At eight o'clock, Park put down the magazine he'd been staring at blankly, and moved to the front desk. "Excuse me," he said. "Um, I'm here to see an Eleanor Douglas." The woman at the desk was short and plump with auburn hair cut in a bob. She was wearing a nametag that said _Doris_ in long squiggly letters; she had a southern drawl when she spoke.  
"Okay, honey. Just hang on a sec." The woman-_ Doris_- turned and typed something on her computer. Park waited while she did this, impatiently tapping his fingers on the counter. "She's in room 249, third floor."

"Thank you." He quickly headed for the elevators, got in one and pushed the glowing circle with a three on it. The doors opened with a _ding! _and he fast-walked down the large hallway, looking at the door numbers. _237, 238, 239, 240 _He rounded the corner, almost colliding with a nurse. "Sorry," he mumbled. At the very end of the hallway, was room 249. He walked up and quietly rapped on the door with his knuckles. When no one answered, he gently pushed the door open. He peaked his head inside before coming in all the way and shutting the door behind him.

And there she was. His Eleanor. Lying in a hospital bed. She had an IV in her arm, tubes running through her nose, and there was a heart monitor next to her bed, making gentle beeping noises. Even hooked up to all this, she was beautiful. He felt a lump form in his throat when he took in the large, purple bruise, spreading from her nose into her eyes. His blood boiled when he realized that the drunk driver who did this to her probably walked away without a scratch. _Jerk._

Taking in a deep breath, Park pulled a chair up next to Eleanor's bed, and held her hand. He smiled slightly to himself, remembering the first time he did this. Her hand was so soft and warm in his- just like it is now. He jumped at the sound of the door opening and a small woman walked in looking frazzled. She gasped when she saw him, her hand flying to her chest. She closed her eyes, taking a few breaths to compose herself. With the shake of her head she opened her eyes, extending her arm. "Hi," she said. "You must be Park." He stood, gripping her hand in a firm shake, but not letting go of Eleanor's.

"I am." He replied.

"I'm Mrs. Douglas, but, uh, you can call me Pam." She pulled up a chair, and Park sat down again, while Pam plopped herself right next to him. She had long, dark hair, with dark eyes to match, and a small frame.

"It's nice to meet you, Pam." He said. Then, a second later, he realized how stupid he must sound. Here they are, in a hospital room, both here to visit someone they love, who just so happens to be in a coma, and he's saying 'it's nice to meet you'. In different circumstances, yes it probably would be nice to meet her. In the whole ten seconds he's known her, he could tell she was probably a nice person. Even so, Park began to feel uncomfortable with the silence that followed his last comment. They both sat staring at Eleanor for a while before Pam started sniffling and he decided it was time to go.

"I should probably head out." He said, scooting his chair back as he stood. "My mom's waiting." A lie, of course, his mom wouldn't be back till 9:00- when visiting hours ended. Pam just stared at Eleanor and gave him a small nod. He glanced back at Eleanor one last time, which apparently was not a good idea because he felt a lump in his throat again, and left. Since he still had another half hour or so, and the lobby just didn't sound to appealing to him, especially when he knew he was close to tears, he made his way to the restroom and locked himself in a stall. After a while, he began to cry, all the while thinking to himself, that Pam was in room 249 doing the same thing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Park**

Park's mom picked him up at nine just like she said she would. He gave Doris a small smile (the best he could manage) and waved as he walked out the door. Apparently his eyes were still red from crying when he got in the car because his mom gave him a sympathetic look and said, "El-a-no is okay. She will be fine." He sniffed and nodded his head, facing forward. His mom nodded back and drove them home.

When they got inside, Park went straight to his room so he could be alone. He threw himself on his water bed, feeling something poke his shoulder. He sat up, grabbing the postcard Eleanor sent him. There was a knock at his door and he knew it was his mom. He ignored it, turning the postcard over and looking at those three words for the millionth time since it came. It smelled like vanilla, and he curled it into his chest, falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Eleanor**

When she opens her eyes she doesn't know where she is. There's an IV in her arm and she's hooked up to a heart monitor that beeps every few seconds. She looks around the room with wide eyes and shoots up in her hospital bed. _How did I get here? What's wrong with me? _She thinks. _No. nothing's wrong. This is a dream. I made it back. _As soon as she thinks this, she stops. _Back where?_

The door opens and she jumps. A tall man with salt and pepper hair walks in. He's wearing a long white doctor's coat over blue scrubs and glasses. There's a clip board in his arm and when he looks up at me, he seems surprised to find me awake. "How are you feeling?" he asks with a gentle smile. _How am I feeling? I don't even know what's going on! _She stays silent and simply shakes her head at the doctor. He gives her a sympathetic look and says, "My name is Doctor Rogers."

"Uh, nice to meet you Doctor Rogers. My name is-" she stops. _What _is_ my name? _Doctor Rogers gets a concerned look on his face all of a sudden. "Do you know your name?" He asks. She's breathing hard now and she runs her hands through her hair, shaking her head. An image of a boy doing the same thing- running his hands through his hair- pops into her head and she gasps, the doctor doesn't notice because each breath she takes sounds like a gasp. He puts down the clip board he was holding and kneels next to her bed.

"Listen to me." His calm voice says. "You are going to be fine. Your name is Eleanor Douglas. I need you to focus okay? Look at me." She does. "Good. Now, breathe like me." He takes in a big breath through his nose and lets it out slowly through his mouth, making it look like a tiny _o._ She mimics him, but her breath is shaking a little.

Once Eleanor calms down a little, he pulls up a chair next to her bed. She's still breathing the way her told her to. In through the nose, out the mouth. In. Out. In. Out. "Do you remember anything?" He places a gentle hand on her shoulder. Eleanor takes another deep breath in. "No." she says mid-exhale. "Any names or faces?" she thinks of the boy, running his hands through his hair and laughing. She shakes her head no but she's a terrible liar. Doctor Roberts gives her a look and says, "Everything helps. Any information is crucial to your healing process. You don't need to hide anything, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." Only then did Eleanor realize she was blushing. The boy's name pops into her head. "Park." She says.


	7. Chapter 7

**Park**

"Okay, what do you want first, good news or bad news?" His dad says when Parks walks in the door. "Uh, good?" he says.

"Eleanor is awake." Park's head shoots up at the sound of this. "What?" he squeaks. "She's awake. Her aunt called while you were at work."

"And the bad news?" his voice is shaking when he asks, not sure if he wants to hear the answer.

"Park," his dad says, looking away. "She has amnesia."


End file.
